Ironing device



March 20, 1956 s, N, TQWNE 2,738,603

IRONING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1953 INVENTOR 5/n'r/ey N. Tow/7e KJZZUQAM ATTO RNEYS United States Patent IRONING DEVICE Shirley Nelson Towne, Berkeley, Calif. Application June 15, 1953, Serial No. 361,590

1 Claim. (Cl. 3897) This invention relates generally to the construction of ironing devices and more particularly to the construction of ironing surfaces for such devices.

In the past, the ironing surfaces of hand irons and like devices have been highly polished to obtain a mirrorlike finish. This type of surface has the objectionable feature in that it gives a shiny or glazed appearance to many fabrics such as those made of wool if the ironing surface is placed in direct contact with the fabric. To prevent this shiny appearance, it has been the practice to utilize a pressing cloth placed on the fabric being pressed to prevent the ironing surface from coming into direct contact with the fabric. Another practice has been to press the garments on the wrong side so that the right side of the garments will not come in contact with the ironing surface.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ironing surface for ironing devices whereby such devices can be placed directly in contact with the fabrics without imparting a shiny appearance to such fabrics as those containing wool.

Another object of this invention is to provide an ironing device which will eliminate the use of a pressing cloth or the need for pressing garments on the wrong side.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment which can be readily applied to conventional irons to incorporate my invention.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional iron with an attachment incorporating my new invention; and

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the attachment shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is another embodiment of my invention and shows a bottom view of a portion of the sole plate of an lI'OIl.

In general my invention consists of placing on a conventional iron, an ironing surface having indentations therein wherein the configuration of the indentations is similar to that of woven cloth.

The embodiment of my invention shown in the Figure 1 consists of a conventional hand iron with suitable heating means. The hand iron is provided with a sole plate 11 which conventionally has a highly polished surface.

An attachment 12 incorporating my invention is shown placed over the sole plate 11. This attachment consists of a framework 13 of any suitable material such as a metal formed in such a manner that it will fit over the sole plate 11 of the iron 10. A screen 14 of suitable mesh is attached to the bottom of the framework by any convenient means. The screen 14 may be formed of metallic members or it may be formed from many of the finely drawn plastic or glass fibers. However, the material used should be a relatively good conductor of heat and corrosion resistant. It is preferable to use a metal such as stainless steel. The framework 13 may then be attached to the iron 10 by any suitable means such as the spring clips 16.

It has been found desirable, although not necessary, to have the screen 14 of such a mesh that it will present a surface which is similar to the texture of woven mus lin. Thirty to sixty mesh screen (where the mesh represents the number of openings per inch) has been found to be satisfactory.

Operation of the attachment incorporating my invention may be briefly described as follows: When it is desired to press material or a garment without leaving a shiny appearance, a conventional iron is fitted with my attachment as illustrated in Figure l. The iron can then be placed directly in contact with the right side of the material without imparting a shiny appearance to the material. Although the use of such a surface increases friction, it has been found that the iron can be moved across the material being pressed without difiiculty and without undue wrinkling.

It is possible to use my attachment with any type of iron such as gas, electric or steam. It is especially suitable for a steam iron as the screen 14 will allow the steam to pass therethrough and, at the same time, prevent the undesirable imprint of steam vents on the fabric.

A conventional iron fitted with my attachment is especially useful in all types of pressing operations needed in dress making and tailoring. It can also be used in the pressing of finished garments in the home.

An iron fitted with my attachment eliminates the need of a pressing cloth and it will also permit faster and easier pressing as the visibility will no longer be impaired by the presence of a pressing cloth.

When desired, the attachment can be easily removed so that the iron can be used for other domestic purposes such as the ironing of laundry.

It is also possible to practice my invention by replacing the screen 14 with a thin metal plate with grooves crosshatched therein to give a surface which resembles the texture of woven cloth. If desirable the sole plate of the iron can be suitably crosshatched as shown in Figure 4 to give a similar surface.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that i have provided an improved ironing device which will allow the ironing device to be placed in direct contact with the fabric without imparting a shiny appearance thereto.

It is to be understood that the embodiment shown in the drawing is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

1 claim:

An attachment for the sole plate of an iron for adapting the iron for pressing woolens and similar fabrics on the right side without the use of a pressing cloth, said attachment comprising a metal framework having a conformation similar to that of the sole plate and being adapted to fit around the outer vertical portion of the .sole plate, the metal framework having a height substantially equal to the height of the sole plate, means for attaching said metal framework to said sole plate, and a 30 to 60 mesh screen of interwoven wires extending across the bottom of said framework and attached thereto, said screen being adapted to cover substantially all the bottom portion of said sole plate so that only the screen will come in contact with the material to be ironed.

(References on following page) Rferences Citetlin-thefile of this patent 1,963,858

"UNITED STATES PATENTS 32,304 McClure May 14, 1861 216591167 184,881 Mahony Nov. 28, 1876 5 648,917 Bradley May 8, 1900 1,768,145 Raditsch June 24, 1930 284,957

4 Meidell June 19, 1934 -K uhnetva1. .W- Jan. .20, 1942 Bass Oct. 20, 1942 Weldon Nov. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 9, 1928 

